Soccer By Ives

DeMerit completes comeback in Watford victory

Jay DeMerit made a second half appearance in Watford's 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Monday, completing his comeback from eye surgery.

DeMerit was subbed in at halftime, and helped Watford post a scoreless second half en route to a 3-1 win that pushed Watford to sixth place in the Coca Cola Championship. DeMerit's cameo was his first appearance for Watford since a 1-1 draw with Swansea City on Aug. 29.

DeMerit's return from eye surgery comes as somewhat of a surprise after some initial projections had him missing as many as six months.

What did you think of DeMerit's performance? Happy he returned in a win? Anxious to see him back in the U.S. national team starting lineup?

Share your thoughts below.

World Cup Venue Preview: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

by TRAVIS CLARK

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa -- With the World Cup draw firmly in the past, the attention can now turn to the final countdown towards the opening match of the 2010 World Cup. An estimated 450,000 fans will descend upon South Africa next year in June and July.

Nine cities will play host during that time, one of those being the city of Port Elizabeth, a lesser-known areas looking to use the cup to increase their international stature.

Port Elizabeth sits in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, renamed that back in 2005 in honor of South Africa's iconic leader. The town of 1.3 million is known as the Friendly City, and the warm hospitality and courtesy of the locals will ensure that things will run smoothly next June.

At the center of it all is the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the first newly-built stadium completed as part of the preparations for 2010. Costing R1.1 million ($150 million), the beautiful structure sits next to a lake close to the center of Port Elizabeth. With a capacity of 46,500, it has already held a number of matches, including a friendly between South Africa and Japan.

European Ticker: United injury woes worsen, Aguero interest heats up and more

 

by FRANCO PANIZO

Just when you thought Manchester United's defensive injury woes could not get any worse, in comes news that Nemanja Vidic is set to miss the club's Champions League match against VfL Wolfsburg.

Having missed Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of West Ham United with the flu, Vidic has failed to recuperate, and has been ruled out of Tuesday's match.

The news of Vidic's absence comes on the same day that Manchester United learned it would be without injured defenders John O'Shea and Jonny Evans for the rest of 2009.

Manchester United is currently without goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar and defenders Rio Ferdinand, Rafael and Fabio da Silva, Wes Brown and Gary Neville. Left back Patrice Evra is the only first team defender available for United's clash in Wolfsburg.

Here are more stories from Monday to help you get through the day:

Red Bulls introduce new GM

The first impression you get from new Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler is that he is an intelligent and polished soccer man. You also realize that for all his experience and his diverse resume, Soler knows very little about the American game. He admitted as much on Monday, stating, "I'm not going to claim to be an MLS expert."

It is that fact that makes it difficult to call his hiring a complete success just yet despite the distinct impression that he may be the sharpest man Red Bull has ever hired to run its New York club.

Soler isn't worried about the track record that strangers to MLS have had in succeeding in the league, and isn't about to let that history force him to hire a coach with MLS experience. At the moment, he is open to the idea of hiring a foreign coach or an American coach. He has been made aware of the past struggles of foreign coaches without MLS experience, but insisted that he was not afraid to try things that have not worked in the past.

MMCB: Red Bulls draw closer to coaching hire and another American striker emerges

The New York Red Bulls will move one step closer to trying to organize the mess that is the club's front office when it formally introduces Erik Soler today as the team's new general manager. Soler will step in and be in charge of all soccer-related operations for a club still picking up the pieces following a nightmare 2009 season.

What will this mean for the club's immediate future? That depends on who the club will hire to be its new head coach. You probably thought I was kidding when I mentioned former Arsenal star and failed Portsmouth manager Tony Adams was in the running for the Red Bulls job, but now the link has reached the UK, leaving us to wonder if Soler is really ready to hire a coach who knows as little about MLS as he does.

Red Bulls fans shouldn't jump into panic mode just yet. The club is considering coaches with MLS experience, with at least one MLS veteran earning an interview last week. A hire will need to be made in the next week or so if a new coach and coaching staff is going to be in position to prepare for the 2010 MLS Draft, which the Red Bulls have two first-round picks in. The longer the club delays in hiring a head coach, the more likely Jeff Agoos (the man who Soler has essentially replaced and the man who apparently cannot be fired by the Red Bulls) will play a key role in the club's draft strategy.

Reports: USA to face Honduras in January friendly

 

If you are wondering who the U.S. men's national team will be lining up for friendlies in 2010, it appears the first of those opponents has been lined up, while another potential opponent has surfaced.

According to reports out of Honduras, the U.S. men's national team will face fellow World Cup participant Honduras on Sunday, January 24 at Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

The meeting would be the first for the sides since the Americans posted a 3-2 victory in San Pedro Sula on Oct. 10 to clinch their World Cup place. That win by the Americans was their fourth of 2009 in four meetings between the teams this year.

The Americans are also reportedly trying to finalize a friendly with Northern Ireland, with the match potentially being played in March or May.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

 

by FRANCO PANIZO

Tim Howard has had enough brilliant moments in his career to fill up an ESPN highlight reel. From his gutsy performance against Argentina in 2008, to his penalty kick heroics against former club Manchester United in last season's FA Cup, Howard has made a name for himself with his timely saves, and his most recent shot block is just the latest evidence of his greatness.

Having come back from a two-goal deficit, Everton saw its draw preserved by Howard, who made a match-saving stop on a Jermaine Defoe penalty kick in stoppage time of the Toffees' match against Tottenham. The U.S. national team goalkeeper had six saves in the game, delivering in the clutch just three days after leading Everton to a vital Europa League victory.

Howard was one of several bright spots on a weekend that saw recently recovered Jay DeMerit make Watford's bench, Michael Bradley deliver a beautiful assist and DaMarcus Beasley make an appearance in a vital Rangers' victory .

Here is how the rest of the Americans Abroad did this weekend:

Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

Clint Dempsey has been on a roll lately, and he will look to keep his recent hot streak going for Fulham against Sunderland.

Today's slate of soccer matches on TV isn't confined to ones featuring Americans Abroad, though Dempsey and Tim Howard will both be playing matches on TV today. The day's schedule also features some of the world's best rivalries, including Roma-Lazio and Nacional-Penarol.

If you are a fan of the women's game, then you will want to see the NCAA College Cup Final between unbeaten Stanford perennial power North Carolina.

If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Today's schedule of matches is after the jump):

Akron and Wake join UNC and UVA in NCAA Final Four

The undefeated Akron Zips moved a step closer to a perfect season on Saturday, scoring a 1-0 victory against Tulsa in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals to secure a berth in the College Cup semifinals, set for Friday in Cary, North Carolina.

Defender Kofi Sarkodie provided the winner for the Zips, who will now face North Carolina in the national semifinal. The Tar Heels defeated Drake, 2-1, on Friday to secure their latest trip to the Final Four.

Wake Forest made it three ACC schools in the Final Four for a second straight season after posting a 2-0 win against UCLA on Saturday. Goals from senior forward Zack Schilawski and freshman forward Andy Lubahn provided the difference for the Demon Deacons, who will look to avenge their ACC Tournament loss when they take on Virginia in Friday's semifinals. The Cavaliers advanced with a convincing 3-0 victory against defending national champion Marylandon Friday. The shutout was the 11th straight posted by the Cavaliers.

Both College Cup semifinals will be played on Friday, with the winners meeting in the College Cup Final on Dec. 13.

What did you think about the NCAA quarterfinals? Think anybody can stop Akron? Who do you see winning the third meeting of the season between Wake Forest and Virginia?

Share your thoughts below.

Juventus downs Inter Milan

Inter Milan's lead atop Serie A was cut to four points on Saturday after Claudio Marchisio notched a second-half winner as Juventus scored a vital 2-1 victory in Turin.

Here are the highlights:

What did you think of Juventus' win? Think the referee had a bad day, or are you not buying Inter's complaints about the officiating? Do you see AC Milan or Juve catching Inter in the Serie A standings?

Share your thoughts below.